Pique n' your interest

Lucky charms

Let me preface this column by saying first and foremost that I’m not trying to rub it in. I wanted the Canucks to beat the Flames too.

However, my hometown team has made it to the second round and as a fan, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.

Here’s the dilemma.

On Sunday night by the end of the first overtime of the Leafs vs. the Sens Game 6, our nerves were frayed.

We really wanted the Leafs to win this one, to put an end to the series, to put us out of our misery and set us on our way to the Cup.

My boyfriend decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Out came the Leafs sweatshirt. The Leafs blanket came next, out of the laundry basket and onto the couch. Eddie Belfour’s hockey pad key chain was on the coffee table.

All that remained was the Leafs bear I bought him on my last trip home to make the lucky charms complete.

I could sense a rising panic when he couldn’t immediately find the bear. Soon there was a frenzy of activity. Boxes were coming out of the crawl space, clothes were thrown around the room and the game was about to start up again.

"I can’t find that bear," he called. "Where did you put it?"

Interestingly enough, he had never shown any interest in this bear until the Leafs hit double overtime in a critical game.

But before our apartment was turned upside down I intervened.

Why is it that men can’t actually see things that are staring right at them?

When I pointed out the bear on the dressing table, calm was restored and focus was back on the overtime.

He sat down in his blue sweater, blanket draped over his shoulders, Leafs bear sitting beside him on the couch, eyes trained on the TV.

And almost as soon as he got settled on the couch draped in his Leaf paraphernalia, the Sens scored. Game Over.

He couldn’t believe it. He had done everything he possibly could on his end to help them win and still, they lost.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. More importantly, the loss prompted a number of theories about what went wrong. Maybe the bear was bad luck he pondered. Maybe the blanket should have stayed in the laundry basket until it was washed.

And it got me thinking a little about good luck charms and why we need them in times of crisis.